Portable electric light.



L T. DRUFVA.

PORTABLE ELECTRIC LIGHT APPLICATIUN man APR. 4. 191B.

Patented July 16,

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UNTTED STATES PATENT ormcn H11 T. DRUFVA, 0F LONGMEADOW, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T0 HENRY HYMAN & CO., INC., OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

PORTABLE ELECTRIC LIGHT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 16, 1918.

Application led April 4, 1918. Serial No. 226,582.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN T. DRUFVA, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Longmeadow, in the county of Hampden and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Portable Electric Lights, of which the following is a speci ation.

The invention pertains more articularly to the character of electric fla lights to be held in the hand and lighted, as occasion ma require, by the manual movement of a sli e applied upon the exterior casing of the device.

My present invention resides more particularly in a novel arrangement and ecnstruction of parts, including a slide for comgisting the circuit between the lamp and attery and also a push-button or the like which may be utilized independently of the slide for completii the circuit and flashing the light, the who e being arran edV to obvlate the accidental circuiting o the lamp by contact with metal articles, such as might arise when a flash light, otherwise constructed, is placed in a box of tools.

The flash light of my invention comprises an exterior casing, a plural cell battery therein, a thumb piece or slide on the side of the casing, a sprin blade connected with said slide and locat at the inner side of the casing for completing the circuit between the lamp and battery, a push button exposed through a hole in the side of the casmg und arranged to en e said blade and ermit the same to be pus ed inwardly 1nependent of the slide for completing thc circuit between the lamp and battery, a metal sleeve applied upon the upper end of the casing and olding the lens and bindlno' the same against the rellector, a lamp bulb of customary type held hy the reflector and c aging the positive ole of the battery, an a. novel support wit 1n the outer end of the. casi to receive the sleeve of the reflector an comprising a rin to set-within the casing, an insulating dis held b said ring and serving to insulate the r ector from adjacent metal parts of the casing, a metal plate at the bottom of said insulating disk in electrical connection with the sleeve pf the reflector and a'ording a surface te he engaged by the aforesaid blade when slid against the same by the manual actuation of said slide, and a depending annular flange connected with said bottom plat-e and affording a surface against which by means of Ythe aforesaid push button the upper portion la more or less permanent or constant lightin of the lamp he present invention pertains to further improvements on the character of flash light made the subject of my application for Letters Patent No. 208,346, tiled December 22, 1917, the features added te the present application and not disclosed in the aforesaid pending application relating more particularly Vto the dependin annular flange 0n the reflector support and the push button arranged to engage the same spring blade that is utilized in connection with the exterior thumb piece or slide for completing the circuit through the lamp and battery.

The invention will be fully understood from the detailed description hereinafter presented, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l isla central longitudinal section, with the wrapping on the battery partly broken away, of a portable flash light embodying the invention, the casing of the flash light being shown in this instance as a metal tubing;

Fig. 2 is a central vertical section through the arts of the reflector support, the insulating disk and its inunediate features being shown as separated from the encompassing ring and ready to he dropped thereinte, and Y Fig. 3 is a bottom view of the reflector support and its several coperating features.

In the drawings, l0 designates a tubular metal casing, l1 a plural cell battery therein, 12 a wrapping of insulatin material on said battery, `l a screw-cap 9% customary construction cloeing the lower end of said casing, ll a conducting spring compressed be,- tween the negative pole of the battery and the inner surface of' said cap, 15 a sleeve screwed upon the outer end of' said easing, 16 a customary lens held by said sleeve, 1T a reflector within the outer end of the casing l0 and out of electrical contact therewith, and 18 an electric bulb el' known character having its terminal sleeve 19 screwed into the usual threaded sleeve 2U at the inner end of Said reflector, the other terminal 21 el the lamp being held in engagement with the positive pele of the battery by means of the spring 14. Near the outer end of the easing 10 said easing is enlarged laterally, whereby about in line with the lower portion of the reflector 17, an annular shoulder 23 is created, and upon this shoulder is seated a metal ring 24- comprising an upper annular portion 25 which engages said shoulder, a lower annular portion 26 which projects downwardly into the upper portion of the casing 10 below said shoulder, and a horizontal flange 27 which extends inwardly from the lower edges of said annular portion 26.

A disk 28 of' insulating material and carrying a bottom plate or disk 29 of conducting material and having a depending annular flange 30, is seated within the ring 24 and therewith forms a support for the reflector 17. The disk 28 and disk or plate 29 are secured together by an eyelet 31 down into which the sleeve 20 of the reflector projects, and the said sleeve and eyelet are in electrical contact. The metal disk or plate 29 is smaller than the insulating disk 28, as shown, and when the disk 28 with the disk or plate 29 is seated within the ring 24, the disk 29 is insulated from said ring by reason of the fact that its outer edge is separated or sets inwardly from the inner edge of the flange 2T of said ring. The disk 28 serves to support the disk 29 and annular flange 30, and being of insulating material, the disk 29 normally remains out of electrical connection with the ring 24 and also with the exterior easing 10. ln assembling` the parts the disk 28` carrying the disk 29, with its annular flange 30, is seated within the ring 24 and therewith introduced through the upper end ol the easing 10. the said ring becoming seated on the shoulder 23, as shown. The reflector und lamp may then be applied to position, and thereafter the lens is secured against the` upper edge of the rellector by means of the sleeve l5. The sleeve 15 serves to hold the lens 16 against the reflector and also to keep the reflector in constant electrical connection with the eyelet 30 of the reflector support.

Upon one side of the casing 10 is provided a thumb piece or slide 32 which is secured to an inner conducting strip or spring blade 33 by means of eyelets or the like 34, which is moved to its outer position the said lient end will pass into electrical contact with the disk 29 at that portion thereof which projects outwardly in a lateral direction beyond the outer surfaces of the flange 30. The

strip or blade 33 is of s ring metal Vand when moved to its outer pos1tion, the benlA end 35 thereof may be pressed with spring effect against the outer edges of the disk 29 :md thereby assure positive electrical connection between said strip and said disk. When the slide 32 is moved downwardly from its position shown in Fig. 1 it will carry the strip or blade 33 downwardly and break the connection between the upper end oi the strip and the lower surface of the disk 29. thus breaking the circuit and extinguishing the light.

Outwardly beyond the slide 32 the casing 10 is apertured to receive a push button 36 which is freely movable in said aperture and is flanged at its inner edge to engage the inner surface of the casing 10 and thus prevent its escape from said easing. The inner flanged edge of the push button 36 env gages the outer flat surface of the strip or blade 33 and when the slide 32 is in its lower position may be utilized to press said strip or blade 33 against the depending flange 30 of the disk 29 for thereby completing the circuit and lighting the lamp. When the slide 32 is moved to its lower position, the outer end of the strip or blade 33 becomes free from the disk 29, but stands in line with and free of the lower portion of the flange 30. At this time should it be desired to flash the lamp instead of having a somewhat permanent light, the user of the flash light may alternately press'the button. 36 inwardly and allow the spring action of the strip or blade to move the same outwardly as frequently as may be desired, each inward movement of the push button 36 moving the upper end of the strip er blade 33 against the flange 30 and completing the circuit. It is obvious that if desired the operator may use the push button 36 in obtaining a more or less permanent light, although ordinarily when such light is desired, the slide 32 will be made use of.

It will be observed that with very slight additional expense I equip the electric light with means for obtaining a more or less permanent light and also for flashing the light, the saine conducting strip or blade being utilized for both purposes and being ill!) spring properly held by the thumb piece or slide so as to permit both actions.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is:

l. In a flash light having a casing. reflector. han: lmnp bulb and battery, said reflector having a portion receiving the lainp socket` in combination, an insulating disk within the forward end of the casing, a metal disk at the lower face thereof. a depending flange electrically connected with said metal disk, and means for making and breaking the circuit through the lamp and battery comprising a slide on said casing, a blade within the casing connected with said slide and movable thereby to complete the circuit through said metal disk, and a push button mounted in said casing and engaging said spring blade and adapted on being pressed inwardly to move said blade against the aforesaid depending flange, the normal position of the upper end of said blade being opposite to said flange and the lower terminal of the lamp being in engagement with the positive pole of the battery, while said metal disk is in electrical connection with the other terminal of the lamp.

2. In a flash light having a casing, rellector, lens, lamp bulb and battery, in combination. an insulating disk within the forward portion of said easing` a metal plate on the lower side of said disk, a depending metal flange at the lower side of said plate and in electrical connection therewith` a metal eyelet connecting said disk and plate and receiving the lower tubular portion of said reflector, and means for making and breaking the circuit through the lamp and battery comprising` a slide on said casing, a spring blade within the casingr connected with said slide and movable thereby to complete the circuit through said metal plate.A and a push button mounted in said casing and engaging said spring blade and adapted on being pressed inwardly to more said blade against the aforesaid depending flange, one terminal ot the lamp being in engagement with the positive pole of the battery and the other terminal of the lamp being in electrical connection with said metal plate.

lor. lens. lamp bulb and battery` in combinaliom an insulating disk within the for4 ward end of said casing` a metal plate held bysaid disk.` a depending metal flange electrically connected with said plate` and means for making and breaking the circuit through the lamp and battery. comprising a slide on said easing. a spring blade within the casing connected with said slide and movable thereby to complete the circuit through said met-al plate, and a push button mounted in said casing and engaging said spring blade and adapted on being pressed inwardly to In a flash light having a easing, reflecmove said blade against the aforesaid depending flange, one terminal of the lamp being in engag t with the positive pole of the battery, and the other terminal of the lamp being in electrical connection with said metal plate.

4. 'ln a flash light having a easing. reflecfor1 lens, lamp bulb and battery, in combination. an insulating disk within the forward portion of said casing, and a metal plate held thereby and having a depending metal flange set inwardly from the outer edges thereof, and means for making and breaking the circuit through the lamp and battery comprising a slide on said casing, a spring blade within the casing connected with said slide and movable thereby to complete the circuit through said metal plate, and a push button mounted in said casing and engaging said spring blade and adapted on being pressed inwardly to move said blade against the aforesaid depending flange, one terminal of the lamp being in engagement with the positive pole of the battery and the other terminal of the lamp being in electrical connection with said metal plate.

5. In a flash light having a casing, reflector, lens, lamp and battery. in combination, an insulating disk within the forward portion of said casing, and a metal plate held thereby and having a depending metal flange set inwardly from the outer edges thereof and means for making and breaking the circuit through the lamp and battery comprising a slide on said casing, a spring blade within the casing connected with said slide and movable thereby to complete the circuit through said metal plate'- and a push butt-on mounted in said casing and engaging said spring blade and adapted on being pressed inwardly to move said blade against the aforesaid depending flange, one terminal of the lamp being in engagement with the positive pole of the battery and the other terminal of the lamp being in electrical connection with said metal plate and the upper end of said blade beingr normally opposite to said flange.

G. In a flash light having a metal casing, metal reflector, lens, lamp bulb and battery, in combination, a metal plate supported within the forward portion of said casing and in electrical connection with the reflector and having a depending flange, means normally insulating said metal plate from said easing, and means for making and breaking the circuit through the lamp and battery comprising a slide on said casing. a spring blade within the casing connected with said slide and movable thereby to complete the circuit through said metal plate. and a push button mounted in said easing and engaging said spring blade and adapted on being pressed inwardly to more said blade against the aforesaid depending flange, one terminal of the lamp being in engagement with the Signed at Springeld in the county of positive pole of the battery and the other Hamzden, and State of assachusetts, this 10 terminal of the lamp being in electrical con- 2nd ay of April, A. D. 1918.

nection with said metal plate, and the upper JOHN T DRUFVA- end of said blade being normally positioned opposite to said flange, and said reflector at Witnesses:

its uper edge being s aced from the sur- W. H. BLAKE,

mun mg metal parts o the flash hght. HENRY HYMAN.

Copies et this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

